• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 323 0

three-fourths full of water to a boil. Add the sugar snaps and salt and simmer until tender, about 1 minute. Remove the sugar snaps from the boiling water with a perforated spoon or skimmer and place in a strainer. Rinse with cold water and set aside to cool. Add the rice to the boiling water and cook until the grains are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain in a strainer. Rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.

To make the sesame and tamari dressing: Whisk the vinegar, oil, tamari, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and salt in a large bowl.

Add the cooled rice, sugar snaps, mango, red onion and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro to the dressing and gently toss to combine. Spoon the rice salad onto a platter and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and the sesame seeds.

Shortcuts

Look for stringless sugar snap peas, which take less time to trim.

* * *

Make a Meal

Start with one of the Asian-flavored soups: Carrot, Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup with Baby Bok Choy ([>]) or Miso Soup with Spinach, Curried Tofu and Shiitake ([>]). This salad is also excellent with Cabbage, Pineapple and Peanut Salad ([>]) or Green Bean, Corn, Tomato and Cucumber Salad ([>]).

* * *

TOMATOES AND POTATOES WITH AVOCADO-DILL DRESSING

Tomatoes and Potatoes with Avocado-Dill Dressing ([>])

This is a satisfying and pretty salad created by a friend. It was Lynda Barber's brilliant idea to spread half of the avocado dressing on the plate as a bed for the potatoes, tomatoes and salad greens and then dollop the remaining dressing on top. The important flavor here is dill—lots of it. Thin-sliced red onion and quartered hard-cooked eggs are optional but delicious additions.

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 as a main dish or 8 as a side dish

1½ pounds small to medium Yukon Gold potatoes, halved if large

Avocado-Dill Dressing

1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and peeled

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup plain Greek-style yogurt (0% or 2%)

½ cup coarsely chopped crisp, seedless cucumber

½ cup lightly packed coarsely chopped fresh dill, including delicate stems

¼ cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

½ teaspoon coarse salt

Pinch of cayenne

12 thin diagonal slices crisp, seedless cucumber

3–4 cups lightly packed mixed salad greens, small leaves of watercress, arugula or baby spinach

8 thick slices (½ inch) tomato (2 large)

½ cup paper-thin lengthwise slices red onion (optional)

2 hard-cooked eggs (see [>]), peeled and quartered (optional)

½ cup lightly packed coarsely chopped fresh dill

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, over medium heat until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a skewer, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Rinse with cold water and drain. Set the potatoes aside and cool to lukewarm. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins and cut the potatoes into thick (¼- to ½-inch) slices.

To make the dressing: Combine the avocado, mayonnaise, yogurt, cucumber, dill, scallions, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Spread half of the avocado dressing on a large serving platter. Layer the sliced potatoes on top of the dress ing and top with the cucumber slices. Distribute the salad greens over the potatoes and cucumbers and top with overlapping tomato slices and onion slices, if using. Place the eggs, if using, around the edge of the platter.

Spoon a dollop of the remaining avocado dressing on top of each tomato slice. Reserve the remaining dressing to serve on the side. Sprinkle the salad with the dill and add salt and pepper to taste.

* * *

Make a Meal

This salad is a meal in itself, but make it a feast with the addition of crunchy store-bought sesame breadsticks or a basket of Quick Melted Comté Cheese Crisps ([>]) and a bowl of radishes with a dish of coarse salt for dipping.

* * *

TOASTED BULGUR, TOMATO AND FETA SALAD

Middle Eastern in origin, bulgur is best known as the grain used in